Wood-wind instrument



Oct. 18, 1938. A. LOOMIS 2,133,524

WOOD-WIND INSTRUMENT Filed Dec. 21, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 HLLLa/v LooM/s A ORNEYS.

Oct. 18, 1938.

Oct. 18, 1938. A. LQOMIS 2,133,624

WOOD-WIND INSTRUMENT Filed Dec. 21, 1936 4 Sfieets-Sheet 4 TIO INVENTOR. HLLEN L oomaa A ORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 18, 1938 UNITED STATES WOOD-WIND INSTRUMENT Allen Loomis, Elkhart, Ind., assignor to C. G. Conn, Ltd., Elkhart, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application December 21, 1936, Serial No. 116,948

15 Claims.

This invention relates to woodwind instruments (so-called whether or not they are made of wood) and more particularly to providing on woodwind instruments a series of spaced octave holes and means for automatically opening these holes when the instrument is played.

While the invention is applicable to woodwind instruments of any type, whether made of wood or metal, e. g. clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and the in like, it is described in this application as applied to a saxophone. However, it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not to be limited to saxophones only.

It is well understood by those skilled in the 15 art that to enable a musician to play a woodwind instrument in the upper register, a small hole called an octave hole must be provided: and it has been found that to obtain a full tone the hole should be approximately midway of the vibrating 30 column of air which sounds the particular note being played. However, to accomplish this would necessitate the provision of a separate hole for each note in the upper register octave, and these, with their separate keys, would unduly compli- -5 cate the instrument and make it extremely difiicult to play.

For many years manufacturers of these instruments compromised by using only two octave holes. These were usually so placed as to be satisfactory for the middle notes of the upper register but caused difficulty in sounding the higher and lower notes and also tended to cause lack of tone clarity in those notes.

The primary object of this invention, therefore, is to improve the octave mechanism to secure greater ease in sounding the higher and lower notes of the upper register of a woodwind instrument.

Another object is to improve the tone and pitch of the higher and lower notes of the upper register of a woodwind instrument.

I prefer to accomplish the above objects by providing at least three octave holes, normally closed by pads; and by providing a single octave key adjacent the left hand thumb rest which, whenever it is depressed, results in opening one or the other of these octave holes and closing the others and by providing means interconnecting the various octave hole pads and the keys of the instrument whereby with the octave key depressed the appropriate octave hole is opened by the operation of the keys required to play a particular note.

55 There are also features of mechanical novelty in the connections associated with particular ones of the above-described octave holes.

The above and other objects and desirable particular constructions will be apparent upon ref erence to the following detailed description of several illustrative embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is an elevational view of the right side of an alto saxophone employing an octave mechanism having three octave holes;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the right side of the mouth-pipe portion of the alto saxophone shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a developed View of the key mechanism of the instrument shown in Figure 1;-

Figure 4 is a developed view similar to Figure 3 of the key mechanism of a second embodiment, having the two upper octave holes on the mouthpipe and having only a single octave hole in the branch or body of the instrument:

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the octave key mechanism of the instrument of Figure 4;

Figures 6, 7, and 8 are transverse sections on an enlarged scale through the branch or body of the instrument of Figure 4 taken in planes corresponding to lines 6-6, 'l--! and 88 respectively of Figure 4;

Figure 9 is an elevation of the mouthpipe of the instrument of Figure 4; and 0 Figure 10 is a section on the line Ill-J0 of Figure 9.

Referring to the drawings, both of the instruments shown are of the type known as alto saxophones comprising a bell ID, a U-shaped tubular member l2 known as the bow, and a tapered tube or main body It called the branch, together with a curved mouth-pipe l6 detachably connected to the branch and detachably carrying a mouthpiece |8 provided with a reed 20; all of these members being connected in the order named to form the body of the instrument.

Tone holes are provided at spaced intervals along the body of the instrument, each having the usual key-operated pad whereby it may be closed or opened at the will of the player. Each of the tone holes is designated by a note of the musical scale which is the note sounded by the instrument when that hole is open and the holes above it (i. e. toward the mouthpiece) are closed. The arrangement of the tone holes illustrated is identical with standard instruments, as are also the mechanisms for opening and closing the holes, and therefore, will not be set forth in detail as they are well known to those skilled in the art.

The range of the instrument is from At on the second line below the stafif (B flat in the second space) to F in the fourth space above the stair and comprises 32 notes in all or approximately three octaves. As every note except A, Gii, G and Ft occurs three times, they will be designated lower, middle, or upper according to their positions in the scale of the instrument.

The first sixteen notes from lower At to middle Ci, generally called the lower register, are played in ascending scale by first closing all the tone holes to sound lower At and then successively opening the tone holes, beginning at the bell, until that numbered 22 is opened (disregarding those marked Alt, to indicate alternates), and

in playing all of these notes the air colum in the body of the instrument vibrates in its fundamental frequency.

The remaining 16 notes, generally called the upper register, beginning at middle D, are played by closing all the tone holes down to 24 and successively opening the tone holes until that designated by the numeral 26 is opened, at the same time increasing the blowing pressure to cause the air column to vibrate in its first harmonic.

In order to produce these first harmonic tones easily and to prevent them from being toneless and unstable, it is necessary to create a leak somewhere near the center of the vibrating column of air. This is done by providing small holes called octave holes which are opened when these notes are played. At present, standard instruments are provided with two octave holes, one of which is opened while approximately half of the upper register notes are being played and the other of which is open While the remaining upper register notes are played.

In the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, there are three octave'holes normally closed by Dads 230, 32, and 34. The holes covered by pads 32 and 3 are in the branch i l, and are respectively open when the group of notes middle Gt, G, Ft, F, and E, and the group Di and D, are played and are closed at other times. The hole closed by the pad 239 is in the mouthpipe it, in a compromise position such that it is open when any of the notes upper F to A is played, and is closed at all other times. All three of the octave holes are brought into play by depressing the usual octave key or spatula 36 located adjacent the left hand thumb rest 38 and employing the usual fingering required to play the respective notes.

An important minor feature of the invention relates to an additional fingering permitted by the location of the octave hole 34 whereby middle Ct may be played in the same manner as lower Ct but with the spatula 33 depressed.

The spatula 36 is mounted on a hinge 4i urged by a spring 62 in the direction of the arrow. An arm 44 on the hinge 4i) engages a wiper 66 on a hinge 48 urged in the direction of the arrow by a spring 59, weaker than spring 12. A crank arm 52, mounted on the hinge 48 engages a ring 256 surrounding the mouthpipe i6 and secured to a lever 256 hinged at 258. The lever 256 carries the pad 230 for the upper octave hole and is urged by a leaf spring 268 in the direction to close the octave hole. Spring 26!! is weaker than spring 53.

Octave hole pads 32 and 34 are each hinged on an axle 86 and are interconnected by a floating lever 88 pivoted at its center on an arm SG'hinged on the axle 86 and one end of which is engaged by the arm 54. The other end of the arm 96 is engaged by a bridge rod 92 hinged on the axle 86 and carrying a fingertip 95 which is depressed whenever middle or high G, is played. The bridge rod 92 is urged by a spring 96 in a direction to depress the floating lever 82 and hold both octave holes 32 and 3 3 closed.

A wiper arm 98 mounted on a hinge H12 and urged in the direction of the arrow by a spring Hi engages the floating lever 83 below its pivot. The spring its is insuflicient in strength to overcome the spring 95 and lift the octave hole pads.

The lower and middle E tone hole pad 10 1 is mounted on a hinge i655 having a arm )8 engaging another wiper arm iii) on a long axle HE which is urged by a spring lid in the direction of the arrow. On the long axle i 52 is an arm i it engaging an arm is secured. to a bridge rod ltd hinged on the axle 86. An arm !22 secured to the upper end of the bridge rod E29 engages a projection 24 on the arm of the octave hole pad 35. Through these interconnections, it will be noted that the spring i M serves to hold the octave hole 3% closed.

The tone hole pad we is provided with a finger tip l 25 which is always depressed to sound either lower or middle Di and all notes below.

A crank arm 52%, connected to the bridge rod 92, passes underneath the arm 90 and under an arm 423 on the hinge is at a distance therefrom (see Figure 6) which permits the hinge 48 to rotate in the direction of the arrow sufiiciently to open the octave hole 3!} before engaging it.

When the instrumentis played in the lower register, the thumb of the players left hand rests on the thumb rest 38 and spring 42 acting through arm id overcomes the tendency of spring 58 to open the octave hole 236, and the engagement of arm 3% with arm 96 prevents spring Hi2 from lifting the floating lever 88 and thereby opening either of the octave holes 32 or. 3:3. Therefore, the depression of either of the fingertips 94 or H5 in playing any of the lower register notes, although the pressure of springs 95 and Il is thereby relieved, has no effect on the octave holes.

When playing in the upper register, spatula 36 is depressed as in the standard instrument. This raises the arm 44 from the wiper 46 permitting the spring 50 to rotate the crank arm 52 and open the octave hole 230. It will be noted that when this occurs, arm I28 moves into engagement with crank I26. Depression-of spatula 36 also raises arm 44 from arm 99. In this condition the notes upper Ct, C, B and At may be played, but if anynote below Ali is played, fingertip 94 must be depressed and, when this occurs, the force of the spring 96 is relieved from the arm 90 permitting the spring H10, through lever 90, to raise the floating lever 88. Since spring H4 is still acting on the octave hole pad 34 through the lever I22 and the projection I24 the floating lever 88 will pivot about the pad 34 and raise the octave hole pad 32. At the same time the crank I26 is raised bringing the arm I28 'back to its original position and permitting the octave hole 30 to close. In this position the notes middle Gt, G, Fit, F and E may be played. In order to go below these notes pad I04 must be depressed by fingertip I25. This relieves the the D tone hole instead of by releasing spatula 36 and opening all of the tone holes as described above, and as is now the usual fingering.

It is theoretically possible that, if fingertip 94 or I25 were depressed while spatula 64 is depressed, octave hole 32 or 34 would open, but this could only happen by accident and would never occur if the instrument is played in the usual manner with the standard fingering.

In the modification of Figures 4 to 10 inclusive identical elements are designated by the same reference numerals while corresponding elements are designated by the same reference numerals plus 400. This modification differs from the preceding one just described in having only one octave hole I32 on the branch I4 of the instrument. The mouthpipe I6 and the mechanism thereon is shown in Figures 9 and 10, and is further described below, the principal difference from the first modification being that there are two octave holes 28 and 30 on the mouthpipe.

The octave hole I32 is positioned somewhere between the holes 32 and 34 of the preceding modification and is employed in playing the group of notes from middle Gt to middle D inclusive. The octave hole pad is mounted on an arm I34 having a hinge I35 urged in the direction to open the octave hole by a spring 502. An arm 490 on this hinge is engaged by an arm 444 on a hinge 440 carrying the spatula 36 and urged in the direction of the arrow by a spring 442 stronger than the spring 502.

The fingertip 94 is mounted on a bridge rod 492 urged in the direction of the arrow by the spring 96 and having secured thereto an arm 526 engaging the arm 480. Spring 96 is also stronger than spring 502.

The hinge 448 carrying the arm 52 is urged by the spring 50 in the direction to open the octave hole 30 and has a wiper 446 engaged by a projection I38 on the arm 444. Spring 50 is of such strength that its action combined with that of the spring 502 is insufficient to overcome the spring 442. An arm 528 on the hinge 448 is adapted to be moved into engagement with a projection I36 on the arm 526 when the hinge 448 is rotated sufficiently to operate the crank arm 52 to open an octave hole 30 on the mouthpipe. The crank arm 52 engages a distorted ring 54 surrounding the mouthpip'e I6 and rigidly secured to a lever 56 hinged at 58. This lever 56 carries a pad 30 for one of the upper octave holes, and is urged by a leaf spring 60 in the direction to close that hole. Spring 60 is weaker than spring 50.

A tone hole pad 62, adapted to be lifted by spatula 64 to play high D, is engaged by an arm 66 on a hinge 68 having a second arm I0 engaging a wiper I2 on a hinge I4. The hinge I4 is urged in the direction of the arrow by a spring I6, and carries a crank arm I8 which engages a lever pivoted on the mouthpipe at 82 (see Figure 9). The lever 00 carries a pad 28 which closes the second of the octave holes on the mouthpipe, and is urged by a spring 84 in a direction to close the octave hole.

A wiper 85 integral with the arm 80 between the two hinges 56 and 82 of the arms 56 and 80 engages the arm 56, when it is in the position it occupies when octave hole 30 is open, in such a manner that if arm 80 is moved in the direction to open the octave hole 28, the octave hole 30 will be positively closed.

In operation, the depression of the spatula 36 raises the arm 444 and the projection I38, permitting the spring 50 to open the octave hole 30. At the same time the arm 528 moves down into engagement with the projection I36 on the arm 526.

When the fingertip 94 is depressed, the arm 526 is raised and projection I36 rotates the arm 528 in a direction to close the octave hole 30 while at the same time arm 490 being relieved of the force of both springs 442 and 96 is lifted by the spring 502, thereby lifting the octave hole pad I30.

The operation of octave hole 28 by means of the high D key mechanism 6264 is as just described.

While two illustrative embodiments have been described in detail, it is not my intention to limit the scope of the invention to those particular embodiments, or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A wood-wind instrument having a generally tubular body including a branch and a mouthpipe detachably connected with each other, said branch being formed with tone holes and provided with pads therefor and with key-actuated operating mechanism, said mouthpipe having two octave holes formed therein and provided with yieldingly-closed pads, means actuated by one manner of operating said mechanism for yieldingly lifting one of said pads and thereby opening one of said octave holes, and means actuated by another manner of operating said mechanism for forcibly closing the octave hole so opened and at the same time opening the other v octave hole.

2. A wood-wind instrument having a generally tubular body formed with tone holes and provided with pads therefor and with key-actuated operating mechanism, said instrument having two octave holes formed therein and provided with pads, means actuated by one manner of operating said mechanism for yieldingly lifting one of said pads and thereby opening one of said octave holes, and means actuated by another manner of operating said mechanism for closing the octave hole so opened against its yielding resistance and at the same time opening the other octave hole.

3. A wood-wind instrument having a generally tubular body including a branch and a mouthpipe detachably connected with each other, said branch being formed with tone holes and provided with pads therefor and with key-actua ed operating mechanism, said mouthpipe having two octave holes formed therein and provided with yieldingly-closed pads, means actuated by one manner of operating said mechanism for yieldingly lifting one of said pads and thereby opening one of said octave holes, and means actuated by another manner of operating said mechanism for forcibly closing the octave hole so opened and at the same time opening the other octave hole, said branch having a third octave hole, and means actuated by a third manner of operating said mechanism for closing both of the first two octave holes and opening said third octave hole.

4. A wood-wind instrument having a generally tubular body formed with tone holes and provided with pads therefor and with key-actuated operating mechanism, said instrument having two octave holes formed therein and provided with pads, means actuated by one manner of operating said mechanism for yieldingly lifting one of said pads and thereby opening one of said octave holes, and means actuated by another:

manner of operating said mechanism for closing the octave hole so opened against its yielding resistance and at the same time opening the other octave hole, said instrument having also a third octave hole, and means actuated by a third manner of operating said mechanism for closing both of the first two octave holes and opening said third octave hole.

5. A wood-wind instrument comprising a generally-tubular body including detachably connected mouthpipe and branch sections, said branch section having tone holes provided with pads and having an octave hole provided with a pad and with key-actuated mechanism for operating said pads, and said mouthpipe section having two octave holes provided with pads, in combination with levers carrying said pads for the octave holes on the mouthpipe section and which are arranged on opposite sides of the mouthpipe section and which interengage with the keyactuated mechanism substantially at the joint between the two sections.

6. A wood-wind instrument comprising'a generally-tubular body including detachably connected mouthpipe and branch sections, said branch section having tone holes provided with actuated mechanism for operating said pads, and

said mouthpipe section having two octave holes provided with pads, in combination with levers carrying said pads for the octave holes on the mouthpipe section" and which are arranged on opposite sides of the mouthpipe section and which interengage with the key-actuated mechanism substantially at the joint between the two sections, and spring means rendered effective by one manner of operating said mechanism for yieldingly rocking one of said levers to open one of the octave holes in the mouthpipe, the operation of the other of said levers to open its octave hole being a different manner of operating said mechanism and said'other lever being arranged when operated to overcome the spring means to return said one lever to closed position.

'2. A wood-wind instrument comprising a generally-tubular body formed with tone holes provided with pads and with octave holes provided with pads, and mechanism for operating the pads including a floating lever having the pads for the octave holes at its ends and an octave key connected to rock said lever to lift one or the other of said octave-hole pads, said mechanism also including tone keys for operating the tonehole pads and certain of which cooperate with the floating lever to predetermine which one of the octave-hole pads will'be lifted thereby when the octave key is operated.

8. A wood-wind instrument comprising a generally-tubular body including a mouthpipe having connected thereto a branch formed with tone holes provided with pads and with octave holes provided with pads, said mouthpipe having an octave hole provided with a pad, and mechanism on said branch for operating the pads including a floating lever having the pads for the octave holes at its ends and an octave key connected to rock said lever to lift one or the other of said octave hole pads, said mechanism also including tone keys for operating the tone-hole pads and certain of which cooperate with the floating lever to predetermine which one of the octave-hole pads will be lifted thereby when the octave key is operated, in combination with auxiliary mechanism partly on said mouthpipe and partly on said branch and operated by certain of said tone keys for preventing the rocking of the floating lever and at the same time raising the pad of the octave hole in the mouthpipe.

9. A wood-wind instrument comprising a generally tubular body including detachably connected mouthpipe and branch sections, the latter being formed with tone holes and with at least one octave hole and the former being formed with two octave holes, pads for said tone holes and octave holes, mechanism on said branch section for operating the pads of the tone holes and the pad of the octave hole in the branch section and a pair of levers pivoted on the mouthpipe section and each carrying at its upper end one of the pads of the octave holes in the mouthpipe section, said levers both interengaging directly at their lower ends with said mechanism approximately at the joint between said sections.

10. A wood-wind instrument comprising agenerally tubular body including detachably connected mouthpipe and branch sections, the latter being formed with tone holes and the former being formed with two octave holes, pads for said tone holes and octave holes, mechanism on said branch section for operating the pads of the tone holes and a pair of levers pivoted on the mouthpipe section and each carrying at its upper end one of the pads of the octave holes, said levers both interengaging directly at their lower ends with said mechanism approximately at the joint between said sections.

11. In a wood-wind instrument, a pad mounted on a hinged lever, a second pad on a second hinged lever, a third hinged lever between said first two, floating lever pivotally mounted on said third lever and pivotally engaging said first two levers,

a first spring means acting on said third lever to hold both pads down, a second spring means acting on said first lever to hold it down, a third spring means acting'on said floating lever intermediate said first and third levers to raise it, said third spring means being weaker than either of said first two and means for relieving either one or both of said first and second spring means.

12. A wood-wind instrument formed with two octave holes, a first pad for closing one of said holes, a second pad for closing the other hole, a rocking'lever interconnecting the pads, a pivot for the rocking lever, a first spring means urging the pivot down to close both octave holes, a second spring means acting between the pivot and, the first pad urging the lever up, a third spring means swings the rocking lever about the first pad as an axis raising the second pad and the pivot, and means for thereafter relieving the third spring means whereby the second spring means rocks the rocking lever about its pivot lowering the second pad and raising the first.

13. A wood-wind instrument formed with two octave holes, a first pad for closing one of said holes, a second pad for closing the other hole, a

rocking lever interconnecting the pads, a pivot,

for the rocking lever, a first spring means urging the pivot down to close both octave holes, a second spring means acting between the pivot and the first pad urging the lever up, a third spring means urging the first pad down the first and third spring means each being stronger than the second spring means, means for relieving the first spring means whereby the second spring means swings the rocking lever about the first pad as an axis raising the second pad and the 75 pivot, means for therefter relieving the third spring means whereby the second spring means rocks the rocking lever about its pivot lowering the second pad and raising the first, a fourth spring means acting on the pivot independently of said other spring means to hold it down, and means to relieve the pressure of said fourth spring means.

14. In a wood-wind instrument a mouthpipe formed wth a pair of octave holes, pads for closing the octave holes, a pair of levers arranged side by side carrying the pads, spaced parallel pivots for said levers, a wiper on one of said levers between the pivots so constructed and arranged as to be engaged by the other lever when its pad is raised whereby when said one lever is moved to raise its pad the other lever is moved to depress its pad.

15. In a wood-wind instrument a mouthpipe formed with a pair of octave holes, pads for closing the octave holes, a pair of levers arranged side by side carrying the pads, spaced parallel pivots for said levers, a wiper located between the pivots on the lever whose pivot is nearest the pads engaged by the other lever when its pad is raised.

ALLEN LOOMIS. 

